Breakable rail anchor



' June 19, 1928.

J. P. cosTELLo BREAKABLE RAIL ANGIOR Filed March 15, 1927 but a ininimumof strength .has vits rear face 17 Patented .lune 19, i928.

JEROME l?. COSTELLO, OF PEQBIO, COLORADO.

BREAKABLE `RAIL NGHOR.

Application ined March i5, i927. seriaino. 175,563.V

This invention relates to rail anchors and has for an object the provision of anv anchor which is of great strength in gripping a rail and in resisting the creeping ktendency thereof, but which is so formed as to have in those parts which are normally subjected to no stress or strain; y y

Another object is to provide a rail anchor, ofthe class referred to, which will break under the impact of a derailed car wheel and thereby obviate the breaking out of pieces along a derailed car wheel strikes the anchors.

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a fronty elevational view of an embodiment of this invention, operatively mounted upon a rail and abutting a railroad tie.

i Fig. 2 is a view taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1..

ln the present embodimentlof the invention, there isv provided a two-piece rail anchor comprising a shoe 5, which may be of cast iron or otherY suitable metal. The shoe 5 has a bottomvliange 6- adapted to abut the bottom face7 of the flange 8 of a rail 9. The body of the shoe 5 extends about the longitudinal edge 10 of the rail flange and is substantially C-shaped in the front elevation (see 1Eig. 1). A top flange 11 yof the shoe 5 overhangs the'bottom flange J 6 for a distance, thereby providing a way 12 for receiving the longitudinal fla-nge 8 of a rail 9. The body of the shoe 5- and overhanging flange 11 tapers from its end'V 14 which abuts the tie 15 to the end 13. A lug 16 extends downwardly from the rear or abutment end of the bottom flange 6 and flush with' the abutment end 111 of the body of the shoe. As isbest shown in Fig. 1, the top .face of the overhanging flange 11 has a groove 18 formed therein, which extends in parallelism with the vinnermost face of the. way 12 in the shoe. It will be noted that the thickness of the material of the shoe is greatly reduced along aline closely adjacent toA and outside of the vertical plane extending along'the edge 10 of the rail 9. c

A yoke of steel or other resilient metal, indicated generally by vthe reference nuA meral 19, may be formed of bar stock, square cross section, and having a portieri the edge of alrail base when y flange 26 of the .way

i 5 is placed 2O curved complementarily to thev body of.

the shoe 5. The'inner face 21 of hook 2O is tapered 'complementarily to the taper of the body of the shoe. vThe opposite end "22 of yoke 19 is disposed ofthe yoke 19 being bent as at V23, to provide such offset relation, and also being bent aspat 211 for providing ak single point of contact 25 of the yoke 19 with the bottom face v7 of rail9.y It will be understood that the bend 23 may be eliminated if desired. The end y2201i the yoke has an overlianging edge 26, w hich pro-vides a way 27 forthe remaining flange 8 of the rail. The overhanging yoke is longitudinally sanear naaien. f

in offset parallelism to the hook portion 20 if desired, the body grooved at 28,.pa'rallel lto and adjacentthe *I v perpendicular plane of the bottom of the the foregoing, itjwill be` From noted that the yoke is thus materially weakv ened closely adjacent the edge 10 of the rail base.

ln mounting the ydevice on a rail, the shoe in the position as shown in Fig.

1, so that the flange 8 of the rail is snugly f embraced in the way 12 of the shoe. The abutment faces '14 and 17 of the shoe and lug are lmovedinto abutment with a perM pendicular face 29 of a cross tiev 15after which the yoke is mounted upon the raill by entering the opposite rail flange 8 in the way 27 and then moving the yoke along the rail until the tapered inner face 21 on the'hook 20 of the yoke binds upon the 'outer tapered lface of the body 5 of the shoe. Y The creeping tendency of the rail serves to wedge the parts so that such creeping -tendency'is opposed bythe cross ties. l It; will be noted that in the structurejust described, the anchor structure is weakened along the lines 18 and 28, which extend parallel to andy just without the edges 10 of the loaseof the rail 9. `It will be further noted that'the yoke 19, while exercising a powerful clamping and wedging action, of-

fers no support beneath the weakened portions 18 and 28. 'From this,1it will be clear 'iaiet of; the ltrai@ wheel and at the 28 on the opposite` ioo c will be apparent when contrasted with the rte'ctly is clamped by suoli anchor.

the .loiigitudinal results of derailment when. ordinary rail anchors are used. The ordinary rail anchor binds tightly upon the vertical edges of the flanges 8 of the rail and isvvery sturdy.

lVhen a derailed'wheel strikes such anV anchor, with the forceofits great Weight b@- hind it', all of said liinpa'ct is transmitted d1- o that portion of the flange 8 'which The result lis that the la llcho`r, ljeing stronger thanth'e rali] flange, causes notches o'r half rnoonv fractures in y"the flanges of the rails. The rails', thus broken by the old type of anclior, aredanger" ous and unfit fornse and =must bfefrepla'cd. The cost of new rails and the labor incident igienici/ing the `damaged rail and placing the new o ne exceeds ina-ny tiines the cost of `the anchors.

It is to be understood `that Ithe breakable rail anchor I nay be either of 'one-piece or two-piecezconstruCiIl and that in seither`il-lstance, theportions which 'overhang' the flange 'of the rail basesh'allbe provided with grooves such as 18. .a'nd,28 in 'the' device herein described', an d that the material of sn'ch overhanging p( arjtiigifisY shall preferably be rounded'and slopingtowarld `Said .amores ,S0 that. .the .impact `Qf a de* raiile dQcarnwh eel strike the anchor." either directly i"nf. the groove toefect,shearingA of l the anchor or will be effective forbreaking ythe anchor withnt breaking or notching the rail base. N 'Y The invention, therefore, is not limited to Vthe'eXaCt structural detailsl hereinbe'fore.` "set foam Saa amare .maybe modified in .varient wais Within th SCOP@ @fthe Present inyentionand the appended claims.

ivhaxialaiined is:

l. In a breakable railanclior, the .coinbif n ation of'an anchor 'meniber adapted to grip. jop'pesea langweilen edges f a ran ana to abut a spporting cross tie for. said rail,

the: anchor bein' groov'eld longitudinally lthe Vlongitndinal ledf'g'es ofthe rail for v i face thereof disposed providing weakened portions at b *the an'ehor will break under Ythe iilnp'act of, a

2. 'ai newnrticlerof rnlanufactnrfe, a rail yanehor adapted, rail having a yi'v'eal'e'ned portion disposed above and slightly With'ont the plane of 'a vertical edge of a rail base. i 3l In afdevi'ce''f the 'class described, the coinbination ofa'p'shoe nieinbei' adapted to elnb'race and overhani l a longitudinaledg'eof a rail base'and 1having a groove' in tlife top `slightly wahofrt the plane ofv th'e vertical bo yline of the Iongi .ce precisate` "mesi-afg er a' Vto the rail base.l

grooved whereby to weaken one end of the yoke.

4-fl-ln a device of the class described, the (combination with-a rail yhaving a b'asefl'ange y nd a cross Atie for sul'jportingsaid rail, `of ashoe having a way therein `for vreceiving onelon'gitudin'al edge of the rail base anda yoke adapted to' frictionally bind the opj'osed longitudinal. edge ol'wtli'e., railA base and said slie, the shoe and yoke beingvgro'ov'ed in their upper ,faces in pz trall'elisrnk `with the longitud-inalgedges of 'the yrail wliereby the yokeand slice Inaybe b rollen o'n either 'side of the railY under the i'nipact offa derailed car wheel.` v f j 5. In al device of theffclass described', theV combination of a shoe having a Way'there'- in y for receiving -the longitudinal edge of a rail',V tapered body portion on said shoe having a longitudinal groove in the top. face thereof, 'yolqei'neinber having a way in one endA thereof for receiving the edge of a rail base 'opposite' Vthe shoe, said. yoke being curyed, upwardly and sidewardlyto provide Contact" centrally of the'bottoin face ofthe rail `and ghav'vingahook portion adaptedY to friction'ally bind the Vshoe and. yoke' upon enG. aune'warticlelof inanufacturd a rail 4anchorHl'raviii'g(pensions adapted' toY over# hang (the top "face's of rail base, said overhangingrportions being groo'vedin parallelisni with `they.longitudinalV edges of y said frail fory providing weakened'portions adapted to l break nn'der thefi'npac't of a car wheel.

' 7. Asa new'articlefof manufacture, arail portion' adapte-d. to over- 4from tlierajil 'base under the downward im# pact ofy a vderfailed wheel to .avoid brealiage .n.vull; :1v-'1; In testimony whereof,I have hereunto having body adapted to extend beneath 'a rail bas'eand means snbscrib'e'd Iny name this 3rd day'of March, 192 l i i JEROME P. COSTELLO. 

